A Tennessee substitute teacher was fired for showing a Rick Warren TED Talks video in a 10th grade English class at Collierville High School.
The purpose of showing the inspirational video in class on April 26 was to compare it with a hedonistic character in a James Joyce novel which was part of the curriculum, said the substitute teacher, Mary Simm.
Simm was told not to return to school the next day, as the school received some 'complaints' about the video featuring Rick Warren.
According to the school, Simm failed to conform to the lesson plans, and was asked not to teach there again.
"A substitute, and former public school teacher, allegedly showed a video in the classroom that was religious in nature and which deviated from the lesson plan created by the teacher of record and violated the policies of the Collierville Schools," said Russell Dyer, chief of staff at school district.
Simm told News 3 channel that "the whole reason for showing the video was to contrast the hedonistic teachings of author James Joyce. So the parallels were perfect."
"I felt deeply hurt and wronged," said Simms.
The video she played to juxtapose with the profane ways of the character in the novel showed pastor Rick Warren talking about the purpose of life.
"The difference between what I call the survival level of living, the success level of living, the significance level of living is 'Do you figure out what on earth am I here for?'.. These are not religious issues. These are human issues," the pastor says in the video.
The protagonist in the James Joyce novel led a materialistic and hedonistic life. But in the inspirational video, Warren talks about what he did after the success of his best-selling book "Purpose Driven Life" brought in a lot of money. He and his wife decided to not use it on themselves but give most of it for humanitarian causes and to use their influence for "widows and orphans."
Warren also said that it was difficult for him to handle sudden fame, so he turned to the Bible, as he is a pastor.
"And being a pastor, I started reading The Bible," Warren said.
The core message of the video was to highlight "giving away yourself" as the true purpose of life.
"The purpose of influence is not to build your ego and build your net worth. Your net worth is not the same as your self-worth. Your value is not based upon your valuables. It is based on a whole different set of things. So the purpose of influence is to speak up for those who have no influence," he continued.
Simms said that she never expected that showing this video would raise questions about her suitability as a teacher.
"I in no way was prepared for this to happen to me. I believe in excellence in every sense of the word. I'm a passionate educator," Simms was quoted as saying by One News Now.
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a global set of conferences run by private non-profit Sapling Foundation, where the world's leading speakers are called to deliver inspirational messages.
Warren's TED Talk entitled "A life of purpose" has been viewed 2.6 million times online.
Warren ended the message by encouraging his audience to use their talents and assets not on themselves, but on others.
"So my advice is, look at what's in your hand - your identity, your influence, your income, and say it is not about me, it's about making the world a better place," he concluded.
